The Michelada dates to Mexico in the 1940s or early 1950, when ice cubes became commonly available in bars. There are two widely legends about the origin of the name, plus our third choice, the most likely version.

One story says that the Michelada was invented by a man named Michel Ésper at the Club Deportivo Potosino in San Luís Potosí, a town in east-central Mexico. He is said to have drunk his beer with lime, salt, ice and a straw, in a special cup called a chabela (photo #2). The members of the club started asking for beer as “Michel’s lemonade,” with the name shortening over time to michelada.

The next story claims that the drink was named after Mexican general Augusto Michel, also of San Luís Potosí. He reportedly liked to add chiles and a squeeze of lime to his beer. However, this story is known to have been made up by the sellers to “add mystique” to a product called MicheMix, a hot-sauce-and-lime seasoning in a Tabasco-like shaker bottle, used to flavor a Michelada [source].

The most likely derivation is the obvious: Chela is Latin-American slang for a blond, blue-eyed woman, and by extension a light beer. Helada means iced; thus, the contraction chelada means beer with ice. Add mi for “my iced beer.”

Just to split hairs, some Mexicans order beer on ice with lime juice and hot sauce added to the beer itself, and call it a Cubana.” The origin is unclear.

________________†Maggi Sauce, made by Nestlé, is a seasoning of salt, spices and pepper. The recipe varies around the world, based on local tastes. You can substitute soy sauce and freshly-ground pepper.
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